VIDEO: Strolling Florida panther caught on video

A rare daylight sighting of a Florida panther was captured on video at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary as it took a morning stroll at 8:15 a.m., May 12 on the sanctuary boardwalk. Corkscrew volunteers Dick Brewer and Phil Nye saw the cat ahead of them on the boardwalk, and Brewer shot the video. The panther continued on the boardwalk for almost a half mile before finally jumping off and disappearing.

Video courtesy of Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

NAPLES - A rare daylight sighting of a Florida Panther was captured on video at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary as it took a morning stroll on the sanctuary boardwalk. Panthers, typically shy and nocturnal, are rarely seen and prefer to avoid people.

The video was shot at 8:15 a.m. May 12 as the panther walked from the pine flatwood across a prairie and into the cypress forest. Corkscrew volunteers Dick Brewer and Phil Nye saw the cat ahead of them on the boardwalk, and Brewer shot the video. The panther continued on the boardwalk for almost a half mile before finally jumping off and disappearing.

"It was incredible to actually see one of those magnificent creatures in the wild," Brewer said. "I only wish it had been walking toward us instead of away so we could have seen more of it."

Debbie Lotter, who works for Corkscrew's education department, was also out for a morning walk and saw the rare feline.

"When I saw the Panther, I was actually in the forest and the panther was coming in my direction," Lotter said. "It did not seem the least bit interested in me. It was an awesome sight to see."

Mark Lotz, a panther biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, looked at the video and concluded that the panther is a female. He also said the risk of harm to a person who encounters a panther is low.

"Wild animals can be unpredictable and things can happen, but we have not had any issues in Florida," Lotz said. "Generally speaking panthers are shy and secretive and prefer to move about when there are no people around. If someone moves toward a panther or makes an aggressive move, such as throwing something or making a loud noise, they normally get up and get out of the area."

Seeing a Florida Panther is extremely rare and according to Lotz, Corkscrew is among the top three places in Florida that someone can see the cats, based on photos and videos FWC has received. Everglades National Park and Fakahatchee Strand are the other two parks where visitors have had the rare opportunity to see a Florida panther.

Critically endangered, less than 100 of these unique cats exist in Southwest Florida, according to the FWC. Its population is threatened primarily by loss, degradation, and fragmentation of its habitat as a result of urban expansion.